


Ashes

by Windymon



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Mention of Character Death, Vol'jin's funeral, pre-Legion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-04-28 05:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14441997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Windymon/pseuds/Windymon
Summary: Lor'themar has a moment to reflect on the status of the Horde after the first and failed assault on the Broken Shore.





	Ashes

**Author's Note:**

> Another instance where I dug myself into Lor'themar's head to poke at his possible thoughts.

Lor'themar could still recall the weight of the bier, a strange sensation considering he shared the weight with a Tauren and an orc. But then, he had carried more than Vol'jin's body, it was the implications of his words, of the future that they all faced now.

He could not help thinking, though he dared not say it out loud, that both sides had lost some of their best people in that first attack on the Broken Shore. Varian had been a man of honor, and Vol'jin... Well, he had seemed a fine new start for the Horde.

But there was precious little time to dwell on things that could not be changed, they were both dead now, a fact made abundantly clear by the lingering smell of Vol'jin's funeral pyre filling the early morning air in Orgrimmar, briefly overpowering the normal smells of the place, crowded as it was with members of all the Horde's races.

It brought back memories of another dark time in his life, when Quel'Thalas had been desecrated, much of Silvermoon had lain in ruins and shambling corpses had wandered the streets. When frightened survivors were unearthed from whatever hole they had managed to hide in, while he had been suddenly thrust into such a position of leadership he had never really aspired to.

Before Kael'thas had returned from Dalaran he'd been forced to make some tough decisions, like going against their normal customs and quickly making huge funeral pyres, to prevent their dead from suddenly returning to horrific un-life.

He'd forced himself to attend every single one, to be a symbol for his disheartened people, even though the smoke from the fires had almost made him choke.

Sylvanas had made her speech as Vol'jin burned, rallying the assembled to a warcry, but Lor'themar had not added his voice to the rest. A funeral pyre felt like the wrong place for such things, a symbol of such ill portents.

The death of their leaders seemed a very bad start to this new war against the Legion.

Kael'thas had returned to them, speaking of phoenixes returning from the ashes, but though a lovely sentiment, in the end there was no coming back from death.

Sadly.

They were gathering up Vol'jin's ashes, placing them in an urn. Would that the troll could be like the phoenix Kael'thas had branded them with, but now they had a new Warchief that was the very symbol of how a return to life after death truly looked like.

Lor'themar was not a praying man, he believed in things he could see and hear and touch. He could believe in the Light to some extent, for he had seen Velen bring the Sunwell back to beautiful glowing light.

But he could not believe in some other, vague force steering them here or there, so he did not pray.

Yet he could hope, cling desperately to it, that the dying Vol'jin had known what he was doing when naming Sylvanas Warchief. That this event, these deaths would be the metaphorical ashes from which they all would rise, rally and regroup to finally defeat the demonic invaders.

He had to hope for that, because the alternative was too horrific for his mind to imagine.

**Author's Note:**

> I guess I make brave assumptions that Lor'themar was there for the Sunwell's rebirth. If nothing else, it's a headcanon.


End file.
